Gamedec
Pretty well done. Definitely along the lines of Disco Elysium in a cyberpunk setting, but without the roll of the dice involved in your dialogue checks - options are mostly determined by how you branch your professions (the level-up system) and by your past actions and interactions with other characters, things or situations. On top of that, you have to use the information you gather to draw conclusions and make deductions (you play as a sort of cyber detective), and most choices you make will either block certain paths of information or open them, which ends up changing the nature of a lot of the dialogue and the way the story’s told and, inevitably, how you’ll get to end the game.
– Real player with 65.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best CRPG Choose Your Own Adventure Games.
IN A WORD: COMPELLING
IN A NUTSHELL:
WHAT TO EXPECT: Detective adventure game. Isometric presentation. Cyberpunk Setting. Wide range of well-crafted locations. Good variety of crafted NPC individuals. Scripted, linear but self-deterministic story with arcs. Point & click style interaction system with some depth. Minimal character creation. Unrestrictive clue and deduction system. Occupational skill system for additional interaction options. Forgiving design generates some replayability. Made with no soft-caps. Text heavy, requires lots of reading. Extensive Codex feature full of important game data. No combat system. Single-player.
– Real player with 31.6 hrs in game
Shattering Obsidian
By the end of my time with Shattering Obsidian, the main character, a native, conscientious healer-type, was becoming cynical and rather merciless due to the tragedy surrounding her, It didn’t have to be this way, it was because of my choices, which I hope are carried forward to the next chapter.
Really enjoyed this. Great story, leaving you wanting for more, in chapter 3!!
I highly recommend this game.
– Real player with 7.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best CRPG Story Rich Games.
A brilliant adventure game- sort of a hybrid rpg and ‘point and click.’ I don’t want to spoil it, but you can’t help but be drawn in to the story. Chapter 1 is more fantasy focused, but heart-wrenching. Chapter 2 is where it gets very steampunky- where the need to know what happens next becomes tantalising!!!
I can’t wait for chapter 3!
– Real player with 2.3 hrs in game
Shores Unknown
One of the best early access games on Steam!
The gameplay is fantastic, the dialogue is witty and funny, the lore of the game is pretty deep and it has super charming graphics. Very very few bugs, super smooth experience overall and most of the the little upgrades I thought the game could benefit from have been confirmed by the devs to be on their to-do list.
Game currently has 5-7 hours of gameplay with a final 20-30h planned. I should add that I’m 10hrs in and still have not finished the current Early Access content.
– Real player with 26.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best CRPG Tactical RPG Games.
This is hopefully only a tempoary rating. I do like this game but right now I can’t recommend it.
Its suppose to be a strategy game. Yet it actively works against stretegy.
1. Why do my RANGED attackers, move almost to melee range. The enemies have abilities like Cleave and even my ranged characters like to perfectly group up, and you have 0 control over positioning. They should be getting some distance, not Move closer.
2. Characters change their targets. One of the most common strategies is to focus fire down one enemy. Sometimes they attack the enemy nearby, This might be about engagment, but I have 0 control of where the enemey moves, and I can’tposition my own characters.
– Real player with 21.0 hrs in game
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
TL;DR - I loved it, but it is rough in some areas. The people complaining about it being a d20 game are dumb for buying a pathfinder game and expecting it not to be. I love it.
Good -
Fun gameplay, decently implemented from pnp.
There’s a ton to do (for most part, more under bad).
The VA’s are great, when the lines are voiced.
The replayability is off the chart, I am on my 3rd playthrough and not bored of it at all.
SO many choices that can make one playthrough completely different than the first.
– Real player with 628.4 hrs in game
A Quick Summary:
Wrath of the Righteous, in a nut-shell, is an excellent party based RPG. It uses the pathfinder system which allows for very complex character builds. The overall story is quite good, and the graphics are definitely up to date with modern RPGs.
It does have bugs, but the developer has been fixing them. While the worst bugs have been fixed, there are still quite a few minor ones. I am sure given time that they too will be fixed.
The Good:
The Pathfinder RPG system. In most CRPGs I have played in recent years, the character building is fairly simple. You pick a druid or a fighter which comes with a few basic skills or abilities, then every few levels you may pick a few more. With the Pathfinder system you have a plethora of choices and other classes to mix and match in. Even basic classes have 4 variations, not to mention feats and mythic powers.
– Real player with 464.9 hrs in game
The Age of Decadence
–-{Graphics}—
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☑ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
The game portrays an aesthetic I have a massive soft spot for - Post-apocalyptic colonial Roman Empire. The environment art is well polished and beautiful, and the art style is self-consistent and immersive. I really feel like I’m somewhere in Carthage. The cities feel appropriate for their size – Maadoran feels like a dirty, bustling metropolis down on its luck. The design of the armours and weapons are all era-appropriate, with proper, real-life names (e.g. Lorica Segmentata).
– Real player with 391.5 hrs in game
In brief: AoD ditches many of the genre long established staples to focus on the roleplaying, and this it does amazingly well; there really is nothing quite like it out there. The EA version is very much playable (there are less bugs than in many releases). The combat, which has been much the focus of attention due to its difficulty, is not awesome, but it gets the job done and it is optional.
***Since for some reason Steam has decided to implement a character limit to user reviews (what’s up with that Gabe?), you can read my whole review here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/230070/discussions/0/666827315713399977/ , but below is a very long extract:
– Real player with 214.3 hrs in game
Astrobase Command
Salvage the remnants of your civilization by starting anew in uncharted space, with a small crew and the beginnings of an Astrobase. Grow your base by constructing modules on all three axes, put out fires both literal and metaphorical, and send characters with real personalities and emotions on non-linear text-based adventures across a procedural galaxy.
The only mode is ironman and every section, module, deck and crew member added to your Astrobase comes with implicit risks and reward, so choices matter. How long can you keep from succumbing to the dangers of space?
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Grow - Expand your Astrobase in all three directions.
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Nurture - Build a home for your crew and their daily lives
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Design - Layout the Astrobase to counter crises such conduit leaks, compartment failures, explosions, fires, personnel issues, and more
The Astrobase can be constructed along three axes. Your crew can expand the base by building modules or contract it by salvaging them. They can add or remove functionality by building up or tearing down sections in the modules. They can even build ships that lets you explore the galaxy.
You choose what to build and when to build it. The crew needs to rest and they need to breathe, do you rush the construction of the Enlisted Quarters or the Air Pump first? What’s the optimal placement of the new module? Is it better to have the Plasma Reactor closer to storage or to the crew’s quarters? Keep the station well maintained and stocked with supplies or disastrous consequences may result.
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Characters - Your crew make their own decisions as they interact with each other and the world around them.
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Full AI lifecycle - They work, eat, sleep, use the bathroom, relax, and socialize all as part of their daily lives.
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Morale - Your crew can get exhausted, or suffer from low morale which affects the quality of their lives and how they perform tasks.
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Relationships - Your crew form personal, professional, and romantic relationships. The relationships can be either positive or negative based on how their personalities and actions align.
Your crew live their own lives on the Astrobase. They have things to do and people to meet. Exactly how well they perform depends on how good they fit into their job, what adventures they’ve had, and what horrors they have survived; even how well matched they are with their peers matters, some will become romantic partners while others become bitter work rivals.
You will run into stumbling blocks, maybe your crew is exhausted because you’ve pushed them too hard, or low morale makes slacking off more enticing, or maybe Jenkins and Rodriguez spend too much time arguing while the Fission Reactor goes critical. Figure out your problems and fix them!
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Explore - Build and dispatch ships across the galaxy to explore planets, fight killbots, extract resources, and interact with other civilizations.
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Delegate - The ranking officer of each ship will make decisions based on their personality, and take recommendations from their team.
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Overrule - Change the decisions in the logs they send back, or let them make their own mistakes.
The procedural adventures of the crew assigned to your ships can be read and interacted with in the logs they send back. Carefully handpick the crew for each ship you send out. Monitor their progress or leave them to their own fate. Whatever you choose to do, the outcomes of their adventures will be felt in what resources they get, what injuries they suffer, and in how it changes their emotional state.
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Assign - Choose the best person for each job based on their stats, personalities, and over 50 different skills.
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Manage - Prioritize tasks, clear task blockers, optimize the routes that the crew take during their day.
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Observe - Calculate resource depletion and stay on top of tasks to prevent the reactors from exploding, the conduits leaking, and compartments failing,
The desk is where you design the Astrobase into a functioning home for your crew, promote leaders, manage tasks, monitor resource consumption, read reports from your ships and give them your input.
Running the station means manning your desk. Be efficient, and use your time wisely or take a break and play some Asteroid Shooter.
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Individuality - Characters maintain emotional memory, and experience psychological growth over time depending on how results align with expectations.
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Expression - Each character’s personality is expressed in their conversations, thoughts, and ship log entries
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Story - Over 100 personality traits and 42 intertwined emotions combine to author narratives that reflect how the crew are actually thinking and feeling.
The Astrobase’s crew will have conversations with each other, or insights about their lives. Crew members join the Astrobase with revealed personality traits that drive the emotions that effect their job suitability, choices and actions. More traits become unlocked as they experience emotional growth.
Ensure that your crew’s psychological needs are met and they have the ability to grow as people. When you’re processing recruit applications you’ll want to keep an eye out for personalities that might clash with your existing crew, or will be compatible and create lasting friendships.
Drova - Forsaken Kin
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FIND YOUR PLACE IN A DIVIDED SOCIETY
“Drova - Forsaken Kin” is an Action-RPG filled with handcrafted open world adventures, inspired by the much renowned Gothic game series.
A society has discovered the power of a dead empire: to capture the spirits that govern nature and rule over them instead. However, the anger of the remaining spirits divided them. Where will you stand?
Journey through dangerous landscapes, fulfill tasks, fight, trade, take a side in a conflict of factions, gather equipment and become strong enough to survive.
You will not find quest markers or minimaps in Drova. Find your own way instead - just like in classic role-playing games. Study your environment and use the surrounding clues to reveal its mysteries.
EXPLORE THE WORLD OF DROVA
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Dynamic World
Journey through a handcrafted world, filled with dangers and mysteries and witness the lasting impact your actions will have on your environment.
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A Divided Society
Become a part of an isolated society, grown from the ashes of a dead empire. Where will you stand when ambitious factions plunge the world into chaos?
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The Spirits of Nature
Explore nature and encounter the spirits that rule it. Seal them and learn to use their power for yourself. But be prepared for the consequences of their anger to change the world surrounding you.
UNTIL DEATH…?
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Numerous Abilities
Meet teachers and learn numerous abilities and talents. But remember: everything comes with a price.
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To Be or Not to Be?
You decide how to deal with defeated enemies. Whether you kill them or spare them, it’s your decision. Each will have their own consequences.
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The Flow of Battle
Use the flow of battle to unleash powerful abilities. But be careful: only your flow stands between you and death.
#### FIND YOUR OWN WAY
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Free Navigation
Nobody is going to hold your hand. Paying attention to your environment and making good use of your knowledge will help you find the way.
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From Zero to Hero
Start your journey with nothing. Earn your weapons, discover abilities, and talents. Find the fighting style that fits you best and become a master at it.
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Influential Factions
Join one of two factions, each with their own values and in pursuit of their own goals. Your choice will be relevant for the rest of the game and impact the entire story. Where will you stand?
Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition
What an experience! I recommend it to anyone who likes crpgs but hates combat.
– Real player with 149.9 hrs in game
Planescape Torment has a great story. The atmosphere of the game is really cool, and the soundtrack is really nice. The soundtrack for the city of Curst is my favorite. It is an old rpg, and a lot of the game is centered around dialogue options. I recommend it if you have the time to play a slower paced rpg. If you play it stat up Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence for expanded dialogue. It is not my favorite classic rpg in terms of combat and game play, but I’m glad I took the time to beat it and experience this classic. Great game that doesn’t just feed you the story, you have to pay attention and piece it together as you go or you might just miss the deeper meaning. What can change the nature of a man?
– Real player with 111.6 hrs in game
Solasta: Crown of the Magister
I was waiting for the full release to finish the campaign, now I am reminded why I stopped buying early access games.
It’s a good game/story with terrible voice acting.
Someone decided that the game was done when it isn’t. It went to release without all the basic classes and races in the Players Handbook for Dungeon and Dragons 5e. This is the starting book for the game and now are charging $10 for additional classes while still not completing the base components for this game.
It is still missing Bard, Warlock, and Monk classes. I am sure there is a plan to charge for those like they are charging for Druid and Barbarian which should be included, so add more money for those. The game is also missing Half-Orc, Gnome, Tiefling, and Dragonborn. Who knows how much those additional classes will cost.
– Real player with 59.8 hrs in game
Hidden Rpg Gem !
Played alot of these Rpg’s,started with Baldurs Gate Years ago.
Nowadays we have Pathfinder,Bg3 and Stuff and they are good,but for my Taste way too much.Especially Pathfinder with that Kingdom Stuff.
I also like Games that have a decent Story but its not the Focus for me.
And i prefer Rpgs that dont overthrow you with annoying Premade Chars and their always similiar Personal Char Questlines that ends with just looking for the best answers in Dialogue.
So compared with Old Games,i always choose Icewind Dale over Baldurs Gate 1 and 2.
– Real player with 54.7 hrs in game
Tyranny
Oppression, whether as fiction or as reality, seems unavoidable no matter how Tyranny is associated as it is difficult to love this game despite how players (and possibly Obsidian) feel pressured to accept its rulings. It will remain a mystery whether Obsidian had set their ambitions too high, again, and they were forced to release the game early, or if Paradox’s meddlesome content updates and DLC “expansion” model soured its reputation. After a year of patches, DLCs—which claim to be expansions—and hundreds of hours to see what Tyranny has to offer, the overall value remains questionably excellent. As a result, I can only recommend Tyranny on a steep discount or in a GOTY bundle to get the definitive experience. This is an act of kindness towards its crimes that allows players to enjoy all that Tyranny’s reign has to offer while also avoiding to give it the axe.
– Real player with 118.6 hrs in game
i make it short. its a love/hate relation. if they would fix some combat elements i would write a glowing review for it. as you see i am nearly 100 hours into the games so i definitely love some aspect. the reason why i cant recommend it right now are some combat related flaws where it will depend entirely how much youre willing to take if this game will work for you or not.
the +
- story aspects. its obsidian. expect nothing more than a world living up to its lore where every decidion has an impact on the story. thats awesome. thats the main reason we are here.
– Real player with 108.7 hrs in game